Austin, TX
Why some Texas cities are getting rid of their minimum parking rules
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In car-dependent Texas, most cities have rules on how many parking spots must be built anywhere people live, play or do business. But those requirements have come under scrutiny in recent years, with critics saying they do more harm than good.
As the nation tries to curb carbon emissions and fight climate change, climate activists and urbanists have chided the regulations for encouraging car dependency. Housing advocates and developers have also identified those minimums as a barrier to building more homes and taming housing costs.
“This is a pretty obvious target for helping to address [the housing affordability crisis],” said Tony Jordan, co-founder of Parking Reform Network.
In major Texas cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and El Paso, developers usually can’t build single-family homes or apartments without parking. Government regulations like those, critics argue, effectively force housing developers to provide parking spots where they may have instead built housing — contributing to higher home prices and rents.
Doing away with parking minimums doesn’t mean parking will be abolished, reform proponents say. For instance, cities without parking mandates still must require properties to comply with federal law and build accessible parking spaces for people living with disabilities. And proponents expect developers will still build parking spots even if they’re not required to. But the decision of how much parking they should provide, reformers argue, should be left up to builders, not local governments.
Austin last year became the largest city in the country to do away with its minimum parking requirements, following in the steps of other major cities like Portland, Minneapolis and San Jose. Nixing parking minimums is part of a slate of reforms in Austin to loosen city land-use regulations and allow more housing to be built amid the city’s severe housing affordability crisis.
Before the parking rules were overturned, Austin required single-family homes to have at least two parking spots and apartment buildings to have one-and-a-half spaces for every one-bedroom apartment, plus half a space for every additional bedroom. Those requirements drove up construction prices and resulted in higher rent bills. A city estimate projected that requiring one additional parking space per unit raised monthly rent by up to $200.
And at a time when Austin is trying to beef up its public transit to the tune of billions of dollars and encourage denser transit-friendly development, policymakers concluded it didn’t make sense to continue requiring a minimum amount of parking spots.
“A city like Austin that has adopted progressive mobility, affordability and climate goals should not be in the business of requiring an arbitrary amount of car storage in every new development,” Austin City Council Member Zohaib “Zo” Qadri, the proposal’s author, said in a statement after the November vote.
Dallas could soon take Austin’s place as the largest U.S. city to get rid of its parking requirements. In January, a subcommittee of the Dallas’ City Plan Commission advanced a plan to nix parking minimums — a proposal the Dallas City Council could take up this year.
Dallas is also facing a dire housing shortage. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan region surpassed 8 million people last year, and that booming population growth has put pressure on its housing stock. Dallas by itself is short some 33,000 homes that would fall within the price range of the city’s lowest earners, according to an estimate from the Child Poverty Action Lab. That shortage is expected to balloon to 83,000 by the end of the decade.
Allowing housing developers to determine how much parking they need rather than imposing city requirements on them is one way to speed up the development process and chip away at those needs, said Michael Wade, senior planner in Dallas’ planning and urban design department.
The current requirements are “slowing things down to a rate that makes it hard to meet our housing goals,” Wade said.
Rethinking parking in Texas
Reforming parking requirements isn’t just a big-city fixation. The week after Austin got rid of its parking minimums, Taylor, a town of about 17,000 people perched about an hour away, did the same as part of a broader rewrite of its land development code to allow denser housing stock. Taylor is the latest Texas town to ditch its minimum parking requirements, joining Bandera and Bastrop, according to the Parking Reform Network.
Taylor nixed its parking minimums, Assistant City Manager Tom Yantis said, in an effort to bring down housing costs, boost their tax base by allowing denser development and encourage more walkable development — in line with how the town developed in its early years before the rise of the automobile and parking minimums.
“If we start to build neighborhoods that are built around small walkable blocks, maybe in the future we’ll have the opportunity in neighborhoods for people to walk or bicycle to the grocery store,” Yantis said.
Minimum parking spot mandates arose as automobile ownership took off in the middle of the last century. U.S. cities adopted these rules in an attempt to ease a shortage of curb parking spots, relieve traffic congestion and accommodate suburban commuters and shoppers arriving to the urban core by car. Now, it’s common for cities to have rules on the books determining how much parking should be built with homes and businesses like grocery stores, restaurants, offices, video game arcades and even places that serve and sell alcohol.
Critics say those requirements have had nasty side effects, including increased sprawl, overreliance on cars and a proliferation of unsightly parking lots. If people know there’s a parking spot waiting for them at their destination, they’re more likely to take a car than other modes of transportation. Parking is an invisible cost even when it appears to be free, they argue — landlords and businesses ultimately pass on the cost of providing that parking to consumers via routine costs like monthly rents, grocery bills and restaurant tabs.
Some of the rules are also fairly arbitrary, opponents say. Jordan points out that, for example, Dallas requires sewage treatment plants to provide one parking spot for every million gallons of capacity and water treatment plants must provide two spots regardless of capacity.
“The constraint is completely artificial,” Jordan said. “It’s just based on some number that someone put in a book 40 or 50 years ago.”
Parking minimums drive up the cost of housing, too, critics say. A spot in a typical parking lot can cost between $5,000 to $10,000, some estimates show, while a spot in a parking garage can cost from $25,000 to $65,000. Landlords then pass the cost of building and maintaining those parking spots on to tenants — who are more likely to have fewer cars than homeowners or not own one at all — in the form of higher rents.
“If you’re not having to use land for parking, you can use it for housing,” said Claudia Aiken, director of new research partnerships at New York University’s Furman Center and Housing Solutions Lab. “If you’re not pouring that money into developing parking, you could provide units that are more affordable.”
Minimum parking requirements can limit how many housing units are built on a lot and discourage builders from creating homes with more bedrooms. In Dallas, housing developers must build one to two parking spots for single-family homes and one space for every bedroom in an apartment.
When designing a mixed-income development with 21 units that includes townhomes, duplexes and fourplexes in South Dallas, the city’s parking requirements limited how many housing units could ultimately go on the lot, said Lisa Neergaard, associate director of planning at buildingcommunityWORKSHOP, a nonprofit architecture and planning firm. The rules also prevented designers from including more three-bedroom units designed to accommodate families, Neergaard said.
“Land was pretty inexpensive for a very long time, so parking was not as big of a burden,” Neergaard said. “But as the value of our land continues to increase, because the amount of available land is decreasing, parking is infinitely more expensive.”
Life without parking minimums
Cities elsewhere that have retooled or nixed their parking minimums saw more home construction in the aftermath. Minneapolis got rid of its minimum parking requirements as part of a slate of reforms intended to spur housing production — which has helped the city keep rent growth in check and build housing at a quicker clip than other places in Minnesota and the Midwest, the Pew Charitable Trusts found. Seattle and Buffalo, New York, also saw more homes built after reducing or getting rid of their parking requirements.
Getting rid of parking requirements has its detractors. Neighborhood groups and residents opposed to such reforms worry that developers will skimp on parking spots, forcing drivers who can’t find adequate parking at their destination to search for it on neighboring streets and clog traffic. Laura Palmer, a Dallas resident, told the city panel that approved a proposal to nix parking minimums that patrons of the nearby Bishop Arts District, a pedestrian-friendly collection of shops, restaurants and bars, already take up the curb on streets in her neighborhood.
“We are asking you as the city to help protect our neighborhoods,” she told the panel in January.
There are ways to make sure that neighborhoods don’t suffer spillover effects, reform proponents argue, like only allowing residents to park on residential blocks or installing parking meters. But Dallas city staff and transportation officials with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which coordinates transportation planning for the region, agree that parking in “local districts, main street-like corridors, and transit-oriented developments tends to be either adequate for auto demand, or to even far surpass demand,” Dallas officials wrote in a recent report.
The decision of how much remaining parking to build will simply be left to developers, proponents say, and financiers are unlikely to back developments without parking if they think offering a certain amount of spaces makes financial sense. After Seattle retooled its parking requirements, developers built about 40% less parking than they would have without the changes, one study found. But more than two-thirds of developments that weren’t required to build parking still included some, the study found.
It will likely take years if not generations to see the full effects of abolishing parking mandates, Wade said, but it’s a small step to allowing denser development and weaning people off of cars.
“We have the power to become an even more resilient city and provide that to the next generation,” Wade said.
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Austin, TX
Texas lawmakers react to arrests during pro-Palestinian protests at UT Austin
Dozens of people were arrested at the University of Texas at Austin during protests over the Israel-Hamas war and state lawmakers are divided on the university’s response. Jack sits down with both major candidates in the race for U.S. Senate in Texas. And a preview of the runoff for Dallas County Sheriff, in which the incumbent is facing a challenge from the predecessor who hand-picked her.
Jack Fink covers these stories and more in the latest edition of Eye on Politics (original air date: April 28).
Protests flare
Dozens of people have been arrested at college campuses across the country in pro-Palestinian protests. Among the locations of these protests: UT Austin, UT Dallas and Columbia University.
At UT’s flagship campus, 57 people were arrested after failing to disperse as ordered by police. Among those arrested, a news photographer for an Austin television station, who was knocked to the ground by officers. Travis County dropped the charges against the protesters.
UT Austin President Jay Hartzell released a statement to students and faculty that read, in part:
“Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others’ ability to learn are not allowed. The group that led this protest stated it was going to violate Institutional Rules. Our rules matter and they will be enforced. Our University will not be occupied.”
Republican State Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe told Jack the university did the best it could under the circumstances.
“What goes too far is showing up to occupy university space for the purpose of calling out Jewish students and the Jewish community on campus and chanting anti-Israel chants throughout the protest, and an effort to absolutely duplicate and repeat what happened at Columbia University just a few days before is just unacceptable,” Creighton said.
But not everyone agrees. Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Democratic State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio, said UT’s response was not its best work.
“My question would be, does that automatically require riot, police and riot gear with physical weapons,” Martinez Fischer said. “And does that require altercations that resulted in physical contact and potential injury? I’m not so sure that the the remedy met the response … President Hartzell has the absolute right to protect the students on campus, but I don’t believe you can justify that by letting other people get hurt in the process.”
On the second day of protests at UT Austin, there were more students and faculty who joined, but law enforcement did not step in.
The situation was more calm at UT Dallas in Richardson, where protesters led a sit-in at the administration building. They dispersed after the university’s President agreed to meet with them and with a group of Jewish students.
And at Columbia University, pro-Palestinian demonstrations ignited a storm of controversy. Some people called for “death to Jews” and made statements against Israel and the U.S. A rabbi at Columbia messaged nearly 300 Jewish students to go home until it is safe to return.
Jack spoke with both major candidates in the race for U.S. Senate in Texas about the issue.
“While folks have a right to protest, chanting things that are deeply anti-Semitic or are threatening is a line that, once that’s crossed, that’s no longer a protest, that’s an aggressive action,” said Democratic Congressman Colin Allred. “That’s what I’ve seen happening on these college campuses. To me, it’s gotten out of hand.”
Sen. Ted Cruz called the campus protests “disgraceful.”
“This vicious antisemitism is utterly unacceptable,” said Cruz. “We’re seeing radical activists who are pro-Hamas, who are chanting in favor of the Hamas terrorists that butchered 1,200 people on October 7.”
Marquee match-up
Jack also spoke with Allred and Cruz about their campaigns, border security and how they voted on a recent foreign aid package.
Watch Jack’s interview with Cruz below:
Watch Jack’s interview with Allred below:
The Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Cruz leads Allred by 7.2 percentage points, 46% to 38.8%. The Cook Political Report rates this seat likely “R”.
Squaring off
One of the closest races being watched in Dallas County is the Democratic primary runoff on May 28 between incumbent Sheriff Marian Brown and her former boss, former Sheriff Lupe Valdez. Valdez hand-picked Brown to succeed her.
Jack recently moderated a debate between them, sponsored by the Dallas Democratic Forum. During the debate, the candidates made their case to dozens of people on why they should win the Democratic primary runoff next month.
“Some people said she wants her old job back,” said Valdez. “I don’t want my old job back … Correctional officers will tell you things are not improving, it’s getting worse. So, I made the decision after three years of several folks asking.”
In response, Brown said she wouldn’t have been Valdez’s hand-picked successor and appointed by county leaders if she hadn’t done a good job as the number three person in the department.
“When I hear there are 30 people who’ve asked my opponent to return, I say to you there are 2,100 employees at the department,” Brown said. “What percentage of 2,100 is 30 … I’m okay with that because in the real world, if you have 2,100 employees, you’re not going to please everybody.”
Watch Jack’s full report on this race by watching this week’s full episode of Eye on Politics at the top of this page.
Every week, CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and watch new episodes every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on air and online.
Austin, TX
US-based Episode Six is banking on Hong Kong demand for virtual payments, SME lending
“We’re seeing increasing demand for virtual card payments, which our platform is perfectly suited for,” said John Mitchell, E6’s co-founder and CEO. “We’re also seeing an increase in demand for our virtual account, and we’re expected to have growing penetration around these two products in Hong Kong throughout the rest of the year.”
“We know there’s a push from the regulators to see more innovative working capital solutions deployed to SMEs, and we have a product that takes the concept of ‘buy now, pay later’ [BNPL] but industrialises it and makes it fit for purpose for commercial banks to offer to SME customers,” Muse-McKenney said, adding that there is some “good traction” taking place in the market, and E6 is looking to officially launch the new product in the second half of this year.
BNPL is a short-term instalment loan that allows customers to make purchases and pay for them later, without being charged interest.
“The problem across the region is that payments technology needs to be modernised,” said Mitchell. “Asia-Pacific is growing for E6, and some of the new payment products require technology that’s not readily available in the markets that we’re entering, whether that’s around contactless QR code payments, or interoperability between payment schemes.”
Both executives also highlighted Japan as “high on the list” for the start-up.
“Japan is a particularly compelling market for E6,” said Mitchell, adding that E6 has been on the ground in Japan since 2017. With positive macroeconomic trends and a fintech-friendly regulatory environment in Japan, financial institutions are investing in modernising their payment infrastructure, he added.
Ant Group adds 14 foreign payment apps in access boost for Hong Kong merchants
Ant Group adds 14 foreign payment apps in access boost for Hong Kong merchants
“Financial institutions in Asia have had more direct competition from fintechs, and thus they have had to wake up sooner and are more advanced in their thinking in terms of the digital experiences they need to create,” said Muse-McKenney.
“The payments innovation landscape in Asia, the idea of faster payments, is a really progressive agenda that’s being pushed, and so banks and financial institutions more broadly are at the forefront of payments innovation, whereas within [Europe, the Middle East and Africa] and North America, they’re more catching up.”
While also steadily expanding in Europe and North America, Asia remains E6’s largest market from both a revenue and accounts perspective, since the company was founded in 2015, Mitchell said.
Hong Kong SMEs more confident of growth than their Singapore, mainland peers
Hong Kong SMEs more confident of growth than their Singapore, mainland peers
E6 in late April announced a partnership with Singapore-licensed financial institution DCS Card Centre that will allow fintech companies to issue their own branded credit cards through E6’s customer interface.
Powered by E6’s card issuance technology, the solution reduces the process needed to launch a new credit card from up to six months to a matter of weeks. It also incorporates access to a virtual account that allows for top-ups with fiat currency through bank transfers, or with digital assets via DCS tokens, which are directly issued by DCS.
With a presence in more than 35 countries, E6 completed its most recent financing round in March 2023, raising US$48 million from investors led by Avenir. E6’s other existing backers include HSBC, Mastercard, SBI Investment Co and Anthos Capital.
Austin, TX
Rubio, Obrian, Stuver guide Austin to 2-0 victory over Galaxy
AUSTIN, Texas — Diego Rubio and Jáder Obrian scored first-half goals and Brad Stuver notched his second straight clean sheet as Austin FC blanked the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 on Saturday.
Austin (4-3-3) jumped in front in the 7th minute when Rubio took a through ball from Obrian and drilled a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner of the net. It was Rubio’s third goal of the season and the second assist for Obrian.
Obrian made it 2-0 in the 19th minute with his second netter of the campaign. Obrian used an assist from Alexander Ring on a fast break to send a right-footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner.
Brad Stuver finished with four saves — three in the first half — for Austin, which has won four of its last five matches. Stuver has posted three shutouts this season.
John McCarthy stopped three shots for the Galaxy (5-2-3), who entered play having won four of their last five matches to move to the top of the Western Conference.
Austin won by holding Dejan Joveljić and Riqui Puig in check. Joveljić entered play with three goals and three assists in five career appearances — one start — against the club. Puig had two goals and an assist in two career starts against Austin.
The Galaxy scored 21 goals in their first nine matches with 13 coming in the second half. LA was shut out for the first time this season and falls to 3-2-1 on the road.
Austin picked up its second victory over the Galaxy, improving to 2-4-1 in the all-time series.
Austin travels to play the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. The Galaxy head to Seattle to take on the Sounders on Sunday.
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